Butler County residents looking for a place of worship have a new church to consider. Liberty Baptist Church had its first Sunday service Jan. 1, at 3999 Highway PP, Suite 4. The location is a temporary one but Pastor Shane Mallard is making the most of it.
“Our desire is to get into a permanent location,” he said, “but the visibility is wonderful here. Everyone who drives by, sees us.”
Liberty is a new church plant of Berean Baptist Church of Springfield. Mallard and wife Tammy were commissioned to relocate to Poplar Bluff and open the church.
“We’re not here to add just another church to Poplar Bluff,” he said. “Even if all the seats of the local churches were full, there will still be unchurched people.”
Mallard’s life has many local ties.
“We have family here,” Mallard said.
He was raised in the Qulin area and graduated from Twin Rivers High School. Tammy grew up on T Highway before they were married in 1993.
Mallard is an Air Force veteran who served at Whiteman Air Force Base in Knob Noster. There, he attended Calvary Baptist Church. When he felt the call to preach, he attended Baptist Bible College in 1997 in Springfield, where he attended Berean Baptist Church. When the Berean church plant of Emmanuel Baptist in Dexter needed a pastor in 2004, he was sent to lead them. He was there until 2018, when he began to do mission work in western Australia.
“There are only two places I’ve had a burden for,” Mallard said, “Australia and Poplar Bluff.”
When COVID restrictions changed the visa restrictions and prevented him from going back to Australia, Berean sent his family to Poplar Bluff.
“We’re planting our roots here,” he said.
With him and his wife are their daughters, Molly, 19, Emma, 17, Riah, 6, and son Elijah, 4.
“Right now, we spend a lot of time in our backyard pool and going to the local parks,” he said.
During the week, Mallard drives a bus for the Poplar Bluff school system.
He recommends that anyone interested in Liberty Baptist visit the church website at pbliberty.com.
“Please consider your relationship with Jesus Christ. At Liberty Baptist Church, we would love to introduce you,” he said, adding, “Our focus is to consider the Gospel with an emphasis on faith, family and freedom.”